Method of treating petroleum



Patented Nov. 20, 1923..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'DANIEL W. HOGE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeNoa, BY mEsNE'AssIGNMENTS, 'ro

BASH OIL AND REFINING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

DELAWARE A CORPORATION F METHOD OF TREATING PETROLEUM.

Toll whom it may concern.'

, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Treating Petroleum, of which the following is a specification.

The proportion of gasoline recoverable from petroleum is normally fixed with respect to the particular character of the crude oil but hasbeen somewhat increased by cracking the oil according to various methods. These methods most frequently include heating the oil under high pressure and have been a source of annoyance and danger to those refiners who have carried such methods into practical use. 1

It is an object of my invention to provide a method of treatin petroleum vapor to increase the yield o gasoline without the necessity of resorting to high pressure.

A further object is the provision of a methodl for treating petroleum residues from which the 'lighter fractions containing the gasoline have been distilled and which are generally known and used as fuel oil, whereby an additional quantity of gasoline may be recovered therefrom.

Further objects and advanta es of my invention will be apparent as it is etter understood by reference to the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through an apparatus for carrying out the present method;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the receptacle for the molten bath;

Fig. 3 is a section on Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2.v

Referring to the drawing, a suitable furnace is illustrated comprising outer walls 1 of ordinary brick and inner walls 2 of refractory brick separated by air spaces 3. The chamber formed within the walls 2 is partially filled with inert material 4, preferabl sand, clay 'or the like, upon which the c eckerwork 5 is supported. A burner 6 is dis osed through a suitable opening in the walls of thefurnace to supplyl heat to the line 3-3 of the checker work 5, and a suitable Hue 15 for the escape of furnace ases is provided.

Supported upon the wal s 2 and depending into the chamber within the furnace is a receptacle or pan 7 preferably constructed of cast steel of suitable thickness 'to withstand the strains to which it is subjected. The pan 7 ma be six feet long and four feet wide but o viously the dimensions may be varied depending upon the desired capacity of the apparatus. Vithin the pan 7 a bath 8 of molten refractory material, preferably lead, is disposed which may be three inches in depth or suicient to submerge the pipes 9 which are arranged lengthwise of the pan7 and are preferably cast integrally therewith. Headers 10 consisting of cast blocks having openings 'connecting the ends of the pipes 9 form therewith a continuous conduit spaced approximately one-fourth of an inch from the bottom of the pan. The headers 10 are bolted to the sides of the'pan 7 and are readily removable so that the interiors of the pipes 9 may be easily cleaned at intervals.

One end of the conduit formed by the pipes 9 is connected to a still and the opposite end is connected to a condenser. The still and condenser are of usual construction wellknown in the art and are, therefore, not illustrated. A cover 11 consisting of sheet metal and asbestos cement closes the pan 7 an opening 12 being however provided on the cover 11 for lthe escape of heated air.

In carrying out my method the crude oil is rst distilled according to the usual method to remove the lighter fractions including the gasoline, or residues which have been subjected to such treatment are employed. These residues are heated in the still to a temperature sufficiently high to vaporiz'e the heavier fractions which are led to the apparatus above described and allowed to pass through the conduit formed by the pipes 9 at a pressure preferably not exceeding sixteen ounces above atmospheric pressure. The temperature of the lead bath surrounding the pipes 9 is preferably maintained at between 900 and 11000 F., but it may vary between 750 and 1250o F.

The vapor when subjected to this temperature at relatively low pressure is broken up or cracked to form compounds analogous to those present in gasoline and when con- ,the conduit in densed yields a condensate containin in every respect similar to gasoline o tained from the lighter fractionsA of the crude oil. The' gasoline resulting from my method is refined in the usual manner and is then ready fort-he market.

By the .use of my method it is possible to obtain upward y'to 25% of gasoline from material heretofore useless for this purpose and used principally as fuel oil. It will be readily understood therefore, t-hat` I have succeeded in providing a method of and apparatus for treating petroleum vapor which, though marked by great simplicity is nevertheless capable of vastly increasing the yield of gasoline from the present sources of 'this valuable fluid. My method may be employed in ordinary refineries in connection-with the methods and apparatus now in common use without discarding or changing any of such apparatus beyond connecting my apparatus thereto and my method may be employed as an auxiliary to the well-known methods to increase the yield of gasoline.

The claims of the. present application are directed to the action on the vapor which takes place at the abrupt bends as. distinguished from the impinging action which is disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 236,449., originally filed VMay 25, 1918 'and renewed, August 2l, 1923. l I claim 1. The Imethod of obtaining gasoline,

which consists in va orizing heavy hydro'- carbon oils, causing tllie vapor to How slowly at low ressure through and in' contact with the wall)s of a conduit having relatively great length area, causing the vapor to frequently and abruptly change its direction of flow through said conduit to prevent the formation of carbon, and heating the walls of the conduit to a temperature suliiciently high to break down the high boiling point compounds of the vapor as it passes through Contact with the heated walls thereof.

2. The method of obtaining gasoline which consists in vaporizing heavy hydrocarbon oils, causing the vapor to flow slowly at a. preure not exceeding sixteen ounces above atmospheric pressure through and in contact with the walls of a conduit having relatively great length with respect to its cross-sectional area, causing the vapor to A frequently land abruptly change its direction of flow through said conduit to prevent the formation of carbon, and heating the walls of the conduit, to a temperature sutliciently high to break down the high boiling; point compoundsof the vapor as it passes t rou h the conduit in contact with the heated was thereof.

liquid with respect to itsI cross-sectionalv ,which consists in lva to ,crack the vapors of of the conduitto a temperature of between' 1 750 and 1250o F. to break down the high boiling point compounds of the vapor as it passes through the conduit in contact with the heated walls thereof.

4. The method of obtaining gasoline which consists in vaporizing heavy hydro-l carbon oils, causing the vapor to flow slowly ata pressure not exceeding sixteen ounces above atmospheric pressure through and in contact with the walls of a conduit having relatively great lengt-h with respect to its cross-sectional area, causing the vapor to frequently and abruptly change its direction of flow through said conduit, and heating the walls of the conduit to a temperature of between 7 50 and 1250o F. to break down the high boiling point compounds of the vapor as it passes through the conduit in contact with the hea-ted walls thereof.

5. The vmethod of making gasoline .which consist in `vaporizing heavy hydrocarbon oil, causing the vapor to flow very slowly at low pressure through and in contactA with the walls of a conduit having relatively great length with respect to its cross sectional area, the conduit having a large number of abrupt return bends so that the vapor vnot in contact with the surface of the conduit will be caused to come into contact therewith to prevent the formation of carbon, and maintaining` the conduit at a temperature sufiicie'ntly 'high to crack the 1v apors of the heavy 'compounds into .gasoine.

6. The method of making gasoline orizing heavy hydroe vapor to flow ve through and in conconduit having relacarbon oil, causing tslowly at low pressure tact with the walls of a tively great length with sectional area and divided into a series of unobstructed paa es successively connected by abrupt return ends so that the vapor not in contact with the surfaces of the unobstructed paage portions will be caused respect to its crossto come in contact therewith to prevent lthe formation of carbon, and maintaining the conduit at a temperaturesufticiently high the heavy oil into gasoline.

DANIEL W. HOGE. Witnesses:

MICHEL J. SPIEGEL, WM. O. BELT. 

